The present invention relates to a flow diverter assembly and more specifically to a flow diverting flapper valve used to redirect a fluid flow.
A dual purpose flapper valve assembly can be used as a diverter valve to selectively open and close both a primary flow path and a secondary flow path. The flapper valve can be positioned to cover either an inlet of the primary flow path or an inlet of the secondary flow path and can be selectively moved between the two inlets. Generally, the primary flow path can be in line with an incoming air flow and the secondary flow path can be perpendicular to the incoming air flow. Thus, when the flapper valve is positioned to close the primary flow path, the incoming air flow will strike the flapper valve before entering the secondary flow path. This can create turbulent flow near the flapper valve and cause a drop in pressure. For systems operating at low pressures (less than 1 psi), even a relatively small drop in pressure can substantially reduce air flow through the system. To maintain sufficient air flow, it can be necessary to minimize pressure drops throughout the system. One of the most significant pressure drops can generally be observed at the flapper valve assembly.